


What makes a Bat? (Part 2)

by SteveM



Series: Multiverse Madness [10]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batwoman (TV 2019), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:35:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27668302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveM/pseuds/SteveM
Summary: Kara and Kate meet the Bat of another universe and together they investigate who could be behind the bombing of Gotham and the disappearance of the rest of the BatFamily.Also there are waffles.
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Kate Kane, Kara Danvers/Kate Kane
Series: Multiverse Madness [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931842
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Very quickly the last couple of chapters have brief moments of pretty dark imagery. Kinda necessary for the story but more than enough to earn the archive tags. Sorry if it hits wrong from anyone, hopefully it works but thought it best to make it clear before you read.

Kate Kane cast a critical eye over the recently close-to-death Batgirl and took a moment to marvel how much better medical technology was in this reality than on Earth Prime. Then again, she thought to herself, that might go some of the way to explaining why the only heroes here were regular people. If broken bones could be healed in an hour or two with the right equipment then provided you could walk - or, possibly, crawl - away from the fight the risk was considerably lower.

None of which helped her right now of course. The young blonde was looking at Kate with a distrustful air that Kate couldn’t really blame her for. After all she was standing in the Batcave as if she owned the place and Stephanie had been rather unconscious when Kara had demonstrated her powers so didn’t have the benefit of proof that her guests were from another reality. On the other hand Batgirl hadn’t outright attacked Kate when she’d had her back turned so maybe it wasn’t all bad.

“Hi, Stephanie I’m Kate. Kate Kane.” The brunette stepped forward carefully, one hand extended. 

“Well if we’re being formal it’s Stephanie Brown. But just call me Steph, all my friends do.” The young face brightened into a smile as she took the offered hand and shook it enthusiastically. 

“So we’re friends?” Kate asked, trying not to chuckle at the reaction.

“Alfred told me what happened. Well… he told me what you told him and also some other stuff that sounds like he’s been downing single malt since lunchtime. Anyway, it seems like I owe you my life so, yeah, friends.” 

“Sounds good to me. Uh, can you give me a sec?” Steph gave a ‘go-ahead’ motion and Kate tapped the small communicator tucked into her right ear.

“She’s awake.”

“Uh… who are you talking to, exactly?” Steph asked, suddenly cautious.

“Proof Alfred didn’t hit the whiskey…” Kate said with a grin, holding her left arm out at shoulder height. With a woosh of air and a blur of speed Kara flew into the cave and slotted herself neatly into her wife’s waiting embrace. “You, uh, might want to see if he’s got any left.” 

Steph stared at definitive proof that super powers existed, looked from Kara to Kate and back again… then a huge grin broke over her face. “That was so cool! Do it again!”

Kara laughed and decided that a repeat demonstration from earlier was called for. She took off to hang about ten feet from the ground but, just for the hell of it, slipped an arm around Kate and took her up as well. There was the tiniest squeak of surprise as Kate really hadn’t been expecting it but then years of being involved with this remarkable woman kicked in and everything felt normal.

“Woah…” Steph gaped as Kara slowly sunk back down until they were back on the metal platform. “How are you doing that?”

That, Kate realised, was a really good question. Still enthusiastic but focusing in on the mechanics of a problem. Maybe there was a good reason this woman wore the Bat on her chest…

“I’m, well, I’m an alien.” Kara said quietly, worried about how the revelation might be received. 

“An alien?” Steph felt her jaw drop open and couldn’t help walking up to Kara and taking a closer look. “Like, a for-real alien? From another planet?”

“Yep.”

“And you can change your shape?” Steph asked, reaching out and patting Kara’s arm as if to reassure herself it was real.

“Uh, no, actually.” Kara frowned in confusion but Steph didn’t seem to notice.

“Really? So is it some sort of surgery then?”

“You’ve lost me I’m afraid.”

“To look this hot? I mean, I get it, beautiful is definitely a good shout if you need to fit in but how… do… you…” Steph trailed off as she belatedly noticed the confusion, looked at Kate only to find the brunette trying hard not to explode into giggles, looked back at Kara…. and turned beetroot red.

“Oh god… this is actually you, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Kara said, recovering nicely. 

“And… I’m… oh….. I’m an idiot, sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, in fact thank you for the compliment.” 

“Same.” Kate put in and couldn’t help but chuckle at Steph’s bemused expression. “She’s my wife. Always good to know I’ve got great taste.”

“Oh way to go Steph.” Batgirl had her face in her hands now and looked like she was debating throwing herself from the platform into the abyss. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I, uh, is it too late to blame the anaesthetic?”

“It’s okay, it really is.” Kara said, stepping out of Kate’s clutches and hugging the embraced Steph. “I’m Kara by the way.”

“Umm, Steph. Stephanie Brown.” Batgirl replied realising just how careful Kara was being, as if Steph was made of the finest china and could shatter at any moment. 

“How’s it looking out there?” Kate asked quietly and Kara shook her head.

“Not good. There’s damage everywhere you look. I managed to get the worst of the fires out and I think the professionals can handle the rest but right now that’s about the best I can do. Anything else and I’m going to get seen.”

“Let’s try and avoid that.” Steph said, eyes wide as she realised the scale of the disaster. “Not sure the world is ready for a literal angel. How’re the people doing?”

“Could be worse.” Kara allowed. “There’s a lot of panic and fear but from what I could tell relatively few injuries or deaths right now. This being Gotham I’d expected a gang on every street corner but aside from a couple of small riots there was only one group really causing trouble.”

“Where?” Steph demanded, moving to put her cowl back on only for Kate to gently put a hand on her arm.

“Don’t bother.” Kate sighed without turning to look at the guilty expression she knew was parked on her wife’s face. “It’s been taken care of.”

“Huh? How?”

“Umm…. Would you believe freak tornado?” Kara asked sheepishly. “Just, like, gale force wind all of a sudden and the next thing they knew they’d ended up in Gotham harbour.”

“Sweetie, what part of ‘don’t get seen’ passed you by?” Kate asked with forced patience.

“They didn’t see me!” Kara protested before looking down at her shoes. “There was just a handy skyscraper to… umm…. “

“Hide behind while you freeze breath’d them into the harbour?”

“No! No no no… well yes, okay, that’s a thing I may have done.” Kara admitted. 

“Wait, back up, ’freeze breath’? What do you mean, freeze breath?” Steph asked, once again looking like she didn’t know whether to fangirl or freak out. “Like actual freezing breath?”

Kara looked at Kate but the brunette waved her off. “Oh no, you answer this one Ms I’ll Be Careful.”

“Oh. Umm, yes. Sort of. I mean, I can freeze things. With my breath. Or generate really high speed winds. Or, uh, a couple of other things.”

“Woah… okay, what else can you do!” Steph asked excitedly. 

“Possibly not the best time.” Kate pointed out. “Short version: flies, super fast, super strong and more or less invulnerable. If we’re doing the full list we’ll be here all night and right now we need to start figuring out what happened and what, if anything, we can do to help.”

“Not sure about the last bit but I can tell you a bit about what happened.” Steph volunteered. “Come on, Alfred volunteered waffles and I’m starving. We can talk while we eat.”

“Wait, there’s waffles?” Kara was suddenly looking at Steph like she’d just had the best news in the world. “Like, actual waffles?” 

“Also ice cream.” Steph added with a knowing smile. “Long standing arrangement between me and Alfred. I go into the med tube for reasons that aren’t my fault, I get waffles.”

“Way better than a lollipop!” Kara said and Steph laughed. 

“You’re not wrong there. Uh… what’s up?” The question was directed at Kate who’d stopped dead to stare at her. 

“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong. It’s just, well… not used to seeing someone wearing that symbol laughing. Or talking about waffles and ice cream for that matter.”

“You do. Sometimes anyway. More laughing than waffles, admittedly.” Kara said, editing herself as she went mainly thanks to Kate’s long suffering look.

“Only when we’re alone.” Kate pointed out before turning back to Batgirl. “Please don’t take that the wrong way either! It’s good to see someone wearing the cowl who hasn’t been crushed by it.”

“Umm, you don’t seem very crushed?” Steph asked in confusion.

“Thank this one for that.” Kate said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder at the suddenly-blushing Kara. “She’s gotten me through a lot over the last few years.”

“So you’re saying find a gorgeous alien to share the load? Good tip.” Steph said with a grin. “I mean that might take me a day or two so got any more?”

“Uh… possibly? If you’re asking?”

Steph seemed to sag slightly and paused, one foot on the stairs leading up to the main platform, her hand holding the metal guardrail tightly. “Actually yes, I am.” 

Kate could see there was more to the story that needed to be told but she could also spot the telltale signs of exhaustion in Batgirl’s body. Whatever the pod had done to put her back together she clearly needed to refuel and rest, at least for a little bit. 

“Alright, tell you what… let’s figure out what’s going on over a light snack then we’ll see if there’s anything I can teach you. Deal?”

“Deal! Although I’ve got to warn you, Alfred’s waffles are the furthest thing from ‘light snack’ you can imagine.”

“Won’t make any difference to Kara.” Kate said with a grin. “You can add ‘bottomless stomach’ to the power list.”


	2. Chapter 2

“So what happened?” Kate asked, as gently as she could. She’d waited until Steph had started to slow down a little, though in truth Kate found Batgirl’s ability to inhale homemade waffles just as quickly as Kara rather impressive. Now though time was pressing and while she wished there was chance to let Steph rest they needed to figure out what to do next.

“Truth be told I’m not really sure.” Steph said, stabbing an unfortunate chunk of waffle with rather more force than necessary. “We’d spent the last week going all over the city looking into rumours of a bomb being put together. A big one. But everywhere we looked that could possibly hold what had been stolen we came up blank. Guess we know why now…”

“Yeah.” Kate winced as she put it together. “Hell of a lot of small bombs put together in every bolt hole in Gotham rather than a big one in some hard-to-hide location.”

“A couple of days ago Batman and Robin started leaning on some of the bigger gangs. Two Face, Riddler, Bane… they went after them all but just didn’t get anywhere. Everyone knew something was happening but no-one knew what. Me and Nightwing kept trying to find the explosives and eventually we got a lead. Not much, at least we didn’t think it was, but enough to be worth looking into.”

She sighed and put her fork down with a clink, staring down at her hands as she clasped them together to stop them shaking. “We met up with Batman and Robin by the lake, headed for a warehouse. Made it inside without a problem and split up to search. Couple of minutes later the whole place blew up. No warning, at least nothing that I heard. I was on the top floor and can vaguely remember a window being involved so I’m guessing I got thrown out and away. How I made it over the lake without being pulverised I’ve got no idea.”

“Actually I might have an idea on that.” Kate offered into the silence. “Can your cape go stiff to let you glide?”

“Yes?”

“Well so can mine. A few years back I was chasing down a criminal called Firefly. Pyromaniac, basically. Went to jump into a burning building and the suit glitched. Cape went into gliding mode and the heat and updraft sent me flying. And that was just from a regular fire. If the explosion was funnelled up through concrete, well…”

“You never told me that one.” Kara put in with a sly smile as she took the chance to both tease Kate and hopefully lighten the mood slightly.

“Can’t imagine why.” Kate replied sardonically. “Whatever the reason though it probably saved your life.”

“Which, thanks for that by the way.” Steph said looking guilty. “I really hadn’t said that had I?”

“You’ve been busy.” Kate said with an understanding smile.

“So what now?”

“It’s your town…” Kate pointed out.

“No, it’s Batman’s town. Always has been, always will be.” Steph had a very complicated expression which Kate couldn’t quite read though she had a pretty good guess…

“I used to think the same thing.” Kate said softly. “And then, one day, it was mine. Never wanted it but it’s the price of wearing that symbol.” She gestured to Steph’s chest and the gold Bat logo sitting there.

Steph’s face seemed to crumple and she turned away, standing up so quickly the chair rattled on the metal platform. There was the faintest sob echoing in the dark despite her best efforts to mask it. Kara went to comfort her but Kate put a gentle hand on her arm and shook her head. She might not know Steph’s story but this part of it was all too familiar. 

For all that Kara did and the pride she carried in wearing her family sigil on her chest she’d never quite understood how heavy the mantle of the Bat could be and Kate hadn’t wanted to belabour the point. After all since Kara had come into her life there’d never been a moment where she’d felt unable to bear it. But she remembered the long nights standing above Gotham trying not to let the weight of expectations from those below crush her… but at least Kate had been able to make the decision to take on the role for herself. Steph, on the other hand…

“Sorry.” Steph’s voice was pinched from the effort her self-control was costing her but Kate was surprised how confident she still sounded. “It’s just… I never wanted this. Always thought of myself as a member of something bigger not the only one.” 

She paused again and Kate saw her fists clench, her shoulders rise and fall as she drew several deep, calming breaths. “You’re wrong Kate. Gotham is still Batman’s city. But for tonight I’ll keep it safe for him.” 

She turned and the two visitors were shocked to see a small but genuine smile on her face. “Though I’d really appreciate some help with that.”

“You’ve got it.” Kate said immediately as she stood and came around the table, Kara mirroring her from the other direction to flank Batgirl. “Whatever we can do.”

“Thank you.” Steph hesitated for a moment and both Kate and Kara read the signs and swooped in to hug the young crimefighter. Steph laughed and slid her arms around both women, holding them tightly as she enjoyed the emotional support in way rarely seen within the confines of the Batcave. 

“Hate to say it but we should probably see what that ‘whatever’ might be…” Steph said at last, reluctantly breaking away and walking over to the Batcomputer. She let her fingers brush the keys and called up a detailed 3D map of Gotham.

“Okay… so this is the city twenty four hours ago… and this is every explosion that went off since then.” Steph said grimly, adding the data over the top. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the screen, tracking the locations and comparing them not just to the map but her own knowledge of Gotham. After all the heartbeat of any city was never captured in maps or charts. You had to feel it, live it… let it into your soul. 

“That’s weird… “ Steph muttered, adding another layer to the map, this time showing the best estimate for when each explosion had happened. “The main roads out of the city got hit and the airport but other than that… it almost looks random. Actually, no, scrap that… it’s very definitely not random. It’s just chaotic.”

“There’s a difference?” Kara asked, confused.

“Yeah! Well, there is in my head anyway. I mean the intent was to cause chaos, make it look like anything could be next but check it out. None of the public services hit. Police, fire, medical… all fine. And then there’s the casualties or lack thereof. A couple of small bombs in shopping areas but nowhere that’d be high traffic. Hell, look at this one…” Steph zoomed in to a street market and one stall that had gone sky high in a blast. “The vendor and a couple of customers were killed, three more burnt or hit with shrapnel. But if it had been three stalls down it’d have taken out one of the main walkways through the market. That can’t be coincidence, someone wanted it to be close enough to cause panic but not to cause mass casualties.”

“So assuming you’re right… why?” Kate asked. “What do they gain?”

“People panicking, creating all the chaos you want on their own.” Steph said sadly. “Fear and paranoia working against those trying to keep things calm and no real way to get people out quickly with the roads blocked. Without Kara being out there those fires might have spread pretty quickly, made things a lot worse real fast.”

“Maybe this was to run Batman and the rest of you ragged?” Kara asked. “Keep you dashing from one problem to the next while something else was going on?”

“Maybe… but… wait a minute…” Steph flicked the map over to the lake area and her eyes darted around the area. “Son of a… that’s where we start!” She jabbed a finger down at a very familiar warehouse. 

“Where you were hurt? Why?”

“Look at the timing of the explosions. It might not be sequential but there’s still a pattern. Nowhere in the whole city do more than two bombs go off one after the other if they’re less than six blocks apart. But down here there was one in this carpark… one in this crane at the docks… then the warehouse blew.”

Kate stared at the screen for a moment, taking in the pattern of devastation… and realised Steph was right. Once again she was impressed at the speed with which Batgirl’s mind worked through the problem and she doubted she’d have seen that link any faster… or been that fast at all, come to think of it.

“You think it was triggered to catch you?”

“Yeah and that means someone was watching. Let’s go see if they left anything behind.” Steph growled, her fingers flexing with the sudden need for action.

Kate gave the screen one last look but couldn’t spot anything obvious that Steph may have missed. “Okay, so that’s the first place we head to. See if there’s any hint as to where Bruce and the others might be.”

“One small problem, and I appreciate how cliched this is, but you two probably need to change.” Steph pointed out. “It’s going to look a bit odd if you’re climbing through wreckage in jeans and t-shirt alongside Batgirl.”

“Got that covered.” Kate said with a grin, fishing the Ray-Ban’s from her t-shirt and sliding them on while passing Kara’s glasses over to her wife. She put a hand on the right side and froze.

“Uh, Kate. You okay?” Kara asked concerned.

“Umm… yes. It’s just… I feel ridiculous.”

“Oh come on, I do it all the time!”

“Yeah but you’ve got that effortless adorable cool thing going on.”

“Thanks. Now stop stalling.”

Kate sighed, braced herself and pulled the glasses away with as dramatic a flourish as she could manage. To her relief she immediately felt her clothes shifting around her, the leather and denim replaced by the familiar tight fit of her Batsuit. The black armour spread in a wave from the fingertips of her right hand across her body and down her legs, rushing up to form the cowl and even making sure her hair was properly tucked into place.

“Woah…” Kara breathed as she drank in the sight. “Okay, that’s hot.”

“Now you know how I feel.” Kate said with a slightly embarrassed grin that looked out of place in the cowl. 

“That’s so cool!” Steph said, stepping in close and poking at the flexible armour. “Wish mine did that, it’s such a pain having to get changed in public places!”

“This is new.” Kate reassured her. “As in, that’s the first time I’ve done that kinda new. Believe me I know the pain of trying to find some privacy in the middle of a public square.”

“Black and red is definitely you by the way.” Steph said, tracing the Bat logo on Kate’s chest with a finger. “Bit more aggressive than mine.”

“That’s very her as well.” Kara put in with a laugh. “Talking of which…” She pulled off her own glasses with a well-practiced flourish and her own super suit formed around her.

“Ohh,very nice!” Steph said appreciatively, running an eye over Kara’s stunning figure with a hint more than purely professional interest. “Love the cape.”

“One small problem.” Kate put in reluctantly. “You can’t wear that here.”

“What? Why not?” Kara said, genuinely confused.

“Because we’re still trying to keep the existence of anyone Super from this planet, remember? You’re not exactly camouflaged in that suit.”

“So what do you suggest, brown and green splotches?”

“Not… exactly.” Kate turned to Steph who already seemed to have an idea where the conversation was heading. “I don’t suppose there’s any spare suits around here? Other than Bruce’s original one I mean.”

Steph went pale for a moment. “Yeah, that’s definitely not an option! But there’s a few of the older ones around. Let’s see…” She walked up to Kara and ran her hands down the tight sleeves of the suit, getting a feel for how much of what she saw was Kara and how much just the suit itself. “Wow those guns are real huh? No padding or anything…”

“You have *no* idea…” Kate said as Kara blushed furiously. 

“Okay well I don’t think Nightwing’s suit is an option, he’s a chunk over six foot these days and you’d be swimming in it. But I think the older Robin ones might just do the trick. Alfred?”

“Yes, I think we can make that work.” The butler cast his own professional eye over Kara’s body, judging her measurements as expertly as any first-class tailor. “If you’d come with me Ms Danvers?”

“Sure.” Kara shrugged as they headed to a room half-hidden in the rocky walls of the cave. “If you think it’s needed.”


	3. Chapter 3

The two Bats watched them go then, without turning, Kate asked from the corner of her mouth: “The Robin suits… what do they look like?”

“Umm…” Steph thought for a moment then beckoned Kate over to a whiteboard filled with random notes and scrawled reminders. She searched for a moment then rubbed out a mass of overlapping scribbles that Kate just had time to see referenced a cat burglar, a list of crimes, a home address and - oddly - a telephone number. Steph grabbed a marker and started to do a quick sketch that quickly became recognisable as a super-cute, big-headed version of Kara. Steph’s tongue was sticking out in concentration as she added a red tunic with green shoulder pads, elbow-length green gloves and matching ankle boots. She added in a short yellow cape and a black domino mask along with a couple of yellow toggles on the tunic, a yellow circle with a black R on the left breast and a yellow belt.

“There we go!” Steph said proudly, standing back. “One Robin!”

“Umm…. You seem to have forgotten the pants.” Kate pointed out.

“Huh? Oh, no no, that’s pretty much it.” Steph said with a playful glint in her eye. “Dick was an acrobat, found the pant thing a bit… restrictive.”

For a moment Kate debated rushing back to wherever Alfred had taken Kara and stopping what was bound to be an argument before it could start. But where was the fun in that?

“Hmm, well this should be interesting then…” Kate said instead, eying the board. “You usually resort to comics when asked for information?”

“Only when it’s origin-based.” Steph said brightly. “You’d be surprised how much easier it is.”

“Okay then… do Bruce.” Kate said, spotting an opportunity. Steph gave her a slightly odd look then quickly drew a young boy, likely not even in his teens, in a black suit. He was standing alongside two graves marked Thomas and Martha Wayne. He was shaking a fist at the sky and the speech bubble from the boy contained a single word: “Vengeance!”

Kate gave a sad chuckle and shook her head. “Yeah, that’s Bruce.”

“Same in your universe?”

“Pretty much, yes.” Kate admitted. “Tragedy seems to be a theme amongst Bats.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Kate asked, genuinely confused.

“Well you’re a Bat and the way you said that…”

Kate was impressed. Steph had put that together instantly and with no help or hints from Kate. In truth she hadn’t even realised she was leaving a puzzle to be put together.

“I was in a car with my sister and mom. We got smashed off the road by the Joker attempting to escape in a school bus. I made it out but mom and Beth… “ Kate’s voice caught for a moment and she found herself surprised at how much this hurt. Maybe it was telling it here, in the Batcave, to another Bat… “My sister survived and ended up captured and tortured for, well, years afterwards. Lost her mind and became a villain terrorising Gotham. My mom never made it out of the car.”

“Okay, NOW I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s okay.” Kate waved the apology away. “Believe it or not and thanks in no small part to Kara I got Beth back in the end. She’s still recovering but as time goes by… let’s say there’s more and more of her there and less of the monster that was made in her. And if it wasn’t for her I’d never have put on the suit in the first place. Wouldn’t have saved the Multiverse. Wouldn’t have met Kara.”

Steph giggled then slapped a hand over her mouth looking mortified. “Oh god! Sorry! That’s horrible! It’s just… it was the order you put those three in.”

Kate paused then gave a wry chuckle. “Yeah. Became Batwoman. Saved existence. Met my wife. In ascending order of importance. That’s worth the laugh Ms Brown, don’t worry about it. How about you, how’d you come to wear the cowl?”

Steph blushed and fumbled with the pen she was still holding. “Umm… well… my dad was kinda a criminal just not a good one. Called himself the Cluemaster. Spent a lot of time in jail when I was a kid. When he finally got out he claimed to be rehabilitated.”

“Let me guess… not so much?”

“Oh no, he was… if by rehabilitated you mean ‘stopped leaving clues, took it all seriously and teamed up with Black Mask to unite the criminal underworld.” Steph said bitterly.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, he wasn’t. Anyway I got caught up in the middle of a mild gang war and found out what was going on. Made myself a costume, called myself Spoiler and set out to thwart his evil plans.”

“And your efforts attracted Bruce’s attention?” Kate guessed. “Once he saw your thirst for justice he offered you a chance to be trained and wear the cowl?”

“Uh, kind of.” Steph was blushing again and looking more than a little embarrassed. “If by that you mean I managed to turn a minor gang war into one that swallowed all of Gotham and damn near got myself killed into the bargain. Batman saved me, brought me to a hospital and I lay in bed for two weeks barely able to move while Gotham burned outside my window. Nurses couldn’t understand why I never let them close the curtains. Then, one night, I woke up and he was watching me from the foot of the bed. Asked me why I’d done it…”

“That cannot have been an easy one to answer.”

“Not when you’re trying to avoid wetting yourself, no.” Steph agreed. “I told him the truth, that I was mad Dad lied to me and that he was hurting people. I didn’t know it at the time but Bruce and Dick had been going through some, umm…. disagreements. Stopping Black Mask had been their last hurrah, at least with Dick as Robin, so Bruce had an opening for a partner.”

“Wait… sorry, back up. Who’s Dick? And I thought Robin was missing along with Batman.”

“Ohhh, right…” Steph chewed her lip thoughtfully. “This is complicated but Dick Grayson was the original Robin. When he and Bruce… fell out he left and became Nightwing. A little while back, after Bruce took me under his wing - sorry, sorry, unintentional pun - Jason Todd came along, Bruce recruited him and he became the new Robin. It’s easier than coming up with new sidekick names I guess. At some point there’ll probably be a new Batgirl too…”

“Not for a while I hope.” Kate said and the delighted smile she got in return almost rivalled Kara’s best. 

“Thanks! I mean, uh, nice to… nice to be appreciated.” Steph said while trying to bounce for joy as subtly as she could. 

“Not much of that working for Bruce I’m guessing?”

“Not really, no.” Steph admitted. 

“Want to work some of the stiffness out?” Kate asked, eying a training area a safe distance from the platforms’ edge. 

“Sure!” Steph said enthusiastically. “Teach me something Bruce doesn’t know!” She led the way over still talking. “That way I can shut him up for once when… if… we find…” She trailed off then squeaked in surprise as Kate wrapped a leg around hers, slid under her right arm and rolled Batgirl down to the mat. She let go as they hit the floor but kept the roll going to spring lightly back to her feet.

“First things first, don’t get distracted.” Kate said, cursing herself for what she’d just done even if it had likely been the right thing to do. “Control what you can in the moment. Anything that doesn’t help you win the fight is irrelevant.”

To her credit Steph didn’t protest but pushed herself up on to her elbows, looking up at Batwoman with a wry smile. “Oh so it’s like that is it? Okay then…” She swung her legs up while pushing with her palms against the mat and twirled back to her feet via a front flip that landed her much closer to Kate than the older woman had been expecting. Steph’s right hand shot out to grab Kate’s cape on her left shoulder, the left arm wrapped around Kate’s right bicep and there was a very complicated moment as Batgirl tumbled backwards, her feet coming up to shove Kate head over heels to the mat.

“Not bad!” Kate said, impressed as Batgirl was smart enough not to try and push the attack just yet. Instead she too rolled clear and let her opponent get up. “Keep your feet on the ground a little longer though, let your opponent’s own weight carry them over. Same result but makes it way easier against bigger bad guys.”

Steph grinned and launched herself in to her next attack, this time leading with a high kick to Kate’s jaw and a crunching right hand to her gut. Or, at least, she would have if Kate hadn’t slipped back and to the side once she was in the air. Steph came up an inch short on both blows and suddenly had the nasty sensation of her arm being twisted up behind her back.

“It showed in your eyes.” Kate whispered into Steph’s ear. “Now how do you get out of this without breaking your arm?”

She felt Batgirl slow down a little, concentrating as she carefully tested the limits of Kate’s grip. She started to drop down and Kate had to adjust slightly, not wanting to actually break Steph’s arm which is what would surely happen if she finished falling forward. Which, as it happened, was exactly what Steph didn’t do. The instant Kate’s grip shifted Batgirl locked her legs and spun back and around Kate, winding the pressure off thanks to Kate’s new grip not quite being set in yet. As she spun around Batwoman Steph reached out and let her free arm slide around Kate’s neck, tucking in tight under her chin and her hand locking on to her now-free arm in a picture perfect choke hold.

Unfortunately for Batgirl Kate had a bit of an aversion to being choked. Even as Steph settled into the hold Kate was setting herself, feet moving to a wide stance, her hands reaching up for the elbow tucked under her chin. She pushed Steph’s arm down into her chest and twisted, creating a pressure point and using the leverage to step clear, turning around Steph’s body until they were side by side. Adding to the bad news for Steph Kate still had a hold of her arm and simply fell to her left, dragging Batgirl down and wrapping her legs around her head in a chokehold of her own.

Steph was shocked at how tight the grip on her head was and immediately knew she was in trouble. Her hand went to her utility belt and grabbed at a small cylinder stored securely in one of the hip pouches. She instinctively brought it up to Kate’s face… or at least where she assumed that was as all she could see was black body armour… pointed the flat end at what she hoped was Kate’s chin… and caught herself. 

Her free hand slapped the mat and Kate immediately let go, turning quickly to make sure Steph was okay. 

“Sorry!” Steph said, gasping in a breath. “Wasn’t thinking.”

“That’s actually a good thing.” Kate said gently. “Nothing’s unfair in a fight but thank you for remembering this isn’t one.”

“Uh, no problem!” 

“She had you cold you know.” The two bats jumped at the unexpected voice and looked over to see Kara standing on the edge of the training mat. She was wearing a domino mask and, for some reason, a slightly worn bathrobe that was so long she was having to float not to trip over it.

“Did not!” Kate protested, trying to work out what was going on.

“Pretty sure not even your determination to keep an attractive woman between your legs would have got you out of that one my love.” Kara said sweetly, ignoring Steph’s blush.

“Well… maybe.” Kate allowed. “Uh, what’s with the robe?”

Kara glared at both Bats and gestured down. “This? Oh it’s just temporary while Alfred tries to find a pair of pants that’ll fit me.”

“Why? What’s wrong with the suit?” Kate asked innocently.

“You didn’t clean the whiteboard so you know damn well what’s wrong with it.” Kara pointed out.

“Oops.” Steph muttered looking guilty. 

“Oh come on, so it’s a little short…”

“A little? I’ve got swimsuits that cover more than this.”

“Now this I’ve gotta see.” Kate said with a grin. 

“Nope. Not happening.” 

“Oh come on.”

“Not a chance.”

“There’s got to be some sort of deal here? I mean, it’s been *how* long since I got to see you showing more than ankle?” Kate pleaded in a way that was only mostly joking.

“I… alright.” Kara smirked as an idea struck her. “You two go again. If Steph wins I’ll ditch the robe.”

“Hey, not fair!” Kate protested and Steph looked very confused as Kara laughed at her wife’s obvious annoyance.

“Uh, why is that not fair, exactly?” Steph asked.

“Because Kate really, really hates to lose. Especially if she knows the last time wasn’t exactly a victory for her.” Kara said sweetly. “Which is aninteresting dilemma, don’t you think Batgirl?”

“Oh very.” Batgirl said, grinning as she saw the trap. “One small suggestion though. Well, question really… if I win she gets what she wants. So… what do I get? If I win I mean.”

“Other than the satisfaction of beating Batwoman?” Kara asked.

“Yeah, other than that… I mean, you just said I basically did that already.” Steph replied with a wicked smile.

“What do you want?” Kara asked between giggles at the outraged look on Kate’s face.

“Uh…. Tell you what, I win, you step in instead of Kate. Show me what fighting a superhuman is like.”

“You’re sure? That’s not a fight you’re going to win.” Kate said with a hint of caution. “Trust me on that one.”

“I’m sure.” Steph said confidently. 

“Deal!” Kara replied and floated her way off the mat to watch. “Anytime you’re ready!”


	4. Chapter 4

The two Bats circled each other carefully. They both had at least an idea of how capable their opponent was now and knew one wrong move would make this a really quick fight. They each threw a couple of quick exploratory blows but never anything sufficient to risk getting caught. As they moved Kate caught a glimpse of Kara smirking at what she undoubtedly saw as a little light revenge for not intervening on the clothing front earlier… and an idea struck her.

“You said you wanted to see something Bruce wouldn’t or couldn’t teach you, right?” Kate asked, watching Steph carefully. Getting blindsided here with Kara watching would be embarrassing…

“I did say that, yes.” Steph agreed. 

“Then pay close attention Batgirl.” Batwoman commanded and she saw the blonde crimefighter tense, waiting for the attack. 

Which probably explained why Steph could only stare in confusion as Kate threw herself on to her back and tapped the mat. There was silence for a second as both Steph and Kara tried to figure out what had just happened until Kate broke it.

“Sometimes it’s worth losing a fight if it gets you what you want.” She said from the mat then reached a hand up. Steph hesitated for an instant then burst into laugher, reached down and helped Batwoman back to her feet.

“You… but… that’s cheating!” Kara protested only for Kate to shake her head.

“No, I lost, fair and square.”

“But you wanted to lose!”

“Should have thought of that earlier love. Now about that robe…”

Kara struggled for words for a moment longer then sighed and glared at her wife. “I am going to get you back for this. You do know that, right?”

“Oh probably.” Kate said with a wave of her hand. “But that’s a problem for future Kate.”

“Okay, okay fine.” Kara grumbled, sliding the robe off her shoulders and blushing crimson at the surprised whistle that greeted the reveal. Not least because it had come from Steph who was once again looking mortified, this time that her intended quiet and subtle gasp had come out a little differently.

Kate couldn’t blame her though and was having to work hard not to either drool or scoop Kara up in her arms and grapple off somewhere private. The costume itself wasn’t too bad, though the skintight red top left very little to the imagination. In fact it was so tight Kate could just make out the outline of Kara’s abs in the material. The bare arms didn’t help matters. While Kara had never had a particular large build Kate had been surprised just how muscled she was under the suit and now everything was on display. Which led her on to what was happening below the waist… or wasn’t happening, more to the point.

Technically the red tunic flared out to almost look like a short jacket but the key word was short. It did cover Kara’s butt though only by an inch or two and it was clear that any movement would cause it to fly up. There was a hint of green shorts underneath but they, too, were so short as to barely be more than underwear. The cute green ankle boots didn’t help matters as they seemed to somehow length Kara’s already-impressive bare legs. 

All in all Kate thought that Steph’s accidental whistle was a pretty accurate summary. She took a step towards Kara, intended to at the very least kiss her only for a palm that could stop bullets to land in the middle of her chest.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Kara asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“You? Uh… you. Definitely you.” Kate replied, the power of speech momentarily deserting her.

“Oh no. It’s Steph’s turn on the mat, remember?”

“What?!”

“You ready Batgirl?” Kara said with a note of challenge in her voice.

“As I’ll ever be!” Steph replied, stepping forward and trying to ignore Kate’s gaze going from one to the other and back again with an expression that could only be described as confused puppy. “Anything I need to know?”

“You can’t hurt me.” Kara told her with a smile. “But you might want to avoid hitting too hard so as not to hurt yourself. Oh and sticks and other impact weapons have a tendency to break.”

“Good to know! Okay so… how does this work?”

“Try and take me down?” Kara said, an idea hitting her before she turned her attention to Kate who was still trying to work out what was going on. “Uh, honey, could you just step back a bit? We need the mat…”

“Huh? I... but… oh fine…” Kate pouted as she shuffled clear, a very odd look when she was in full costume. 

Kara smiled at her then raced forward towards Steph. Except she didn’t, not really. Oh it was quick for a human but nowhere near a brisk jog for the Girl of Steel. She reached for Steph with a slightly clumsy grab and Steph did herself proud as she stepped inside, wrapped Kara up and threw her to the ground. Steph followed the Kryptonian down and trapped her legs together under her own, reaching up to grab Kara’s wrists and push them above her head. A moment later she had Kara pinned beneath her and, seemingly, helpless.

“Well that was easier than expected!” Steph said with a grin.

“It was, wasn’t it?” Kara agreed, wriggling for the benefit of their audience and grinning at the quiet groan of frustration from off to their right. “You could do *anything* to me now…” She let her voice drop to a seductive purr, saw Steph swallow hard and somehow managed not to laugh at the cry of “oh, come ON!” from Kate.

“I could?” Steph asked then shook herself free of the spell Kara was weaving. After all it wasn’t for her benefit. “I mean, I could, yes.”

“Of course there’s one slight problem.” Kara said casually.

“What might that be?” Steph asked then squeaked with surprise as Kara gently but unstoppably lifted them both into the air. Steph’s grip redoubled not to stop Kara from escaping but to make sure she didn’t fall and that sealed her fate. Kara made sure there was enough space underneath them then flipped around so Steph was facing the ceiling, still hanging on to Kara’s wrists and with her legs wrapped firmly around Kara’s waist for support. It might only be a few feet but the sheer shock of flying had thrown Batgirl off her game.

Carefully Kara dropped back to the mat, making sure to place rather than drop Steph where she wanted her. Now she took the chance to demonstrate her astonishing speed as in the blink of an eye she reversed the grip on her wrists, holding Steph very, very firmly in place and straddling her waist. Once again the young Batgirl impressed her audience by only spending a second or two randomly struggling in disbelief before adjusting to the impossible and trying to buck Kara off her. Not that it did her any good with Kara just flattening herself against Steph’s struggling body and applying enough force to hold her still. The fact this position gave Kate a spectacular view of Kara’s bare legs all the way up to the very short tunic was just a bonus.

“Give in?” Kara asked as there was no way Steph could tap. Batgirl tested herself against Supergirl’s grasp and almost immediately realised she couldn’t possibly overpower this stranger from another dimension. Then again Stephanie Brown wasn’t really one for quitting without a fight…

She looked over at Kate who was trying to focus on what was going on instead of her half-naked wife. Once she was sure Kate had noticed her Steph mouthed a single word, pretty sure this was going to earn her an ass kicking from somewhere but not seeing another way.

“Sorry.”

Kate had a moment of confusion as she tried to work out what, exactly, Steph was apologising for. Losing? Surely she knew there was no shame in losing to Kara?

With a quick dart of her head and shoulders Steph stretched up and kissed Kara Danvers full on the lips. Kara hadn’t even considered that as a strategy and was caught completely by surprise. She very quickly realised that Stephanie Brown was a phenomenal kisser and for a split second Kara almost returned the gesture out of sheer animal instinct before she gained control of her senses. Still there was only so much she could do and for one crucial moment her body responded. Instead of drawing back she relaxed into the kiss and Steph put everything she had into one enormous shove and twist.

Kara went flying head over heels, landing in a heap on the mat as Steph rolled clear and scrambled back to her feet. She cringed as she saw the mass of limbs where Kara had ended up and sensibly pulled back rather than pressing her attack. A moment later the Girl of Steel untangled herself and slid gracefully back to her feet… and kept going, floating in the air before Batgirl like an avenging angel.

“So what’s your next move?” Kara asked with a growl that had Kate groaning quietly from her vantage point.

“Uh… run away, to be honest.” Steph said.

“Now that…” Kara said as her eyes glowed red. “… is the right answer.” She held the glowing glare for a moment then her face broke into a big smile and she flew forward to hug Steph. “As was everything else you did.”

“Huh?” Steph said in a somewhat muffled voice from the depths of Kara’s hair.

“You figured out you were outmatched, found a way to escape and chose pragmatism over pointless heroism. Every one the right move.”

“I… really? I mean… yay?”

“Yay.” Kara said with a chuckle as she let Steph go for some much needed air. “There’s a hell of a lot of heroes on our Earth that wouldn’t do nearly that well.”

“Yay!” Steph said happily then froze as a voice growled in her ear. 

“Now about kissing my wife…”

“I did say sorry…” Steph pointed out while staying very, very still. Somehow the unseen Batwoman an inch from her neck was far more terrifying than being threatened by the apparent physical god with the glowing red eyes. That and the gentle but horribly sharp prod of a Batarang against her back. She could definitely do without that.

Kate let the moment draw out long enough for Steph to be wondering if she dared breathe before the tiny pressure point in her spine withdrew. A smiling Kate stepped into view, which was an odd sight in the cowl, and nodded.

“You did. And you had the courtesy to make it a good one.”

“Well I did think it might be the last thing I ever did so…”

“In all seriousness, smart thinking.” Kate said approvingly. “Nothing’s unfair in a fight after all.”

There was a gentle cough from the edge of the platform and all three women turned to see Alfred standing there. He gestured back into the depths of the cave.

“The alterations are ready Ms Danvers, if you’d care to step this way.”

“Thanks Alfred, you’re the best!” Kara said with clear relief. “Be right back!”

Kate indulged in one last, lingering look as Kara hurried after Alfred then turned to Steph. “Okay…. So how are we getting back to that warehouse, exactly?”

“Kara can fly us there?” Steph asked but she didn’t sound at all convinced about that.

“Probably not the best of ideas. Even with Gotham in the state it’s in someone’s bound to notice two bats and a robin flying past.”

“Yeah but you’ve gotta admit it’d be cool.”

Kate chuckled and shrugged in agreement. “Oh it is but still…”

“Okay, okay, no flying alien uber, got it.” Steph grumbled, looking around at the empty pads. “You’d think the world’s most prepared man would have spares…”

“Your Bruce not big on splashing the cash?” 

“Only when it comes to keeping up the playboy image.” Steph said with a sigh. “Which, gotta be honest, kinda sucks when you’re just a regular kid with a regular mom trying to make ends meet and get an education.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Kate said sympathetically as Steph started leading her through the cave and down several flights of stairs bolted to the rocky cliff face. “Where are we going anyway?”

“Well… this is kind of a long shot.” Steph admitted. “See when Bruce expanded the Family he couldn’t always get away with the sports car so…well, meet the SUV.”

Kate stopped dead and stared at what she’d swear was a tank. Thick armour plating made it look like a particularly angry beetle, the metal coming down so far she could barely make out the sets of tracks where wheels should be. It was substantially larger than any car, more like a miniature troop transport than anything else she could think of at that moment. Weapons pods were mounted to the roof, rear and sides with an access point about halfway between the treads. And, of course, it was a deep, menacing black.

“That would do it.” Kate said, trying to regain her composure while making a mental note to find some way of blackmailing Lena Luthor into being her R&D lab when they got back home. Maybe offering a monthly subscription to photos of Kara naked would do it…

“One small problem.” Steph said, interrupting Kate’s planning session. “No keys.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Bruce wasn’t exactly the trusting type, especially with these toys.”

“Great. So, what, we hot wire it?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind waiting a month or two while we figure out how.” Steph said, frustration clear in her voice.

“This might help.” Alfred’s smooth voice inserted itself effortlessly into their conversation and Steph actually let out a tiny shriek of surprise. The two bats turned to find Kara grinning in her newly-extended Robin suit standing next to Alfred… who was holding out an upturned palm in the centre of which was a simple black key fob.

“You’re kidding!” Steph gasped and had to stop herself grabbing at them, eying Alfred suspiciously. “Why?”

There was a moment of weariness in Alfred’s eyes then he seemed to shake it off, stepping up to Steph and pressing the key into her hand. “Because you have proven that Bruce was right when he asked you to wear that symbol. You are brave, loyal and true to the people of this city. Tonight they need a Bat… and you’re ready.”

Steph’s eyes filled with tears and she launched herself at Alfred, wrapping her arms around him in a big, glomping hug. He smiled and returned it in a rather more dignified way. 

“Thank you Alfred. That means…” Steph whispered but words failed her.

“I know. But you’ve earned it.” Alfred said just as quietly. 

“Okay… let’s go find Batman!” Steph said to her two new friends as she led the way gleefully to the BatTank.


	5. Chapter 5

“Well that was… eventful.” Kate commented as they stepped out into the ruins of the warehouse Steph had been blown clear of just a few hours earlier.

“Hey, it’s my first time driving the thing, I though I did quite well!”

“I’m sure the insurance brokers will be delighted.”

“You did better than I did the first time I had to drive here.” Kara put in. “At least your feet didn’t go through the pedals. And the car. And part of the street.”

“Uh… yeah, see, could have been so much worse!” Steph said to Batwoman before putting her game face on. “Alright, let’s see what we can find around the bomb site first.”

“Just be careful.” Kate advised. “If there was one bomb here there may be more…”

“That goes for all of us.” Steph pointed out. “Uh, Robin… if this goes south…”

“I’ve got your back.” Kara promised, knowing she could almost certainly scoop both Bats into her arms and fly to safety before any explosion could reach them. They made their way carefully through the rubble, avoiding the worst of the debris and anything that seemed particularly precarious. Steph had taken the lead and the eye pieces of her cowl were glowing gently as they laid multiple sets of data over the real world. 

“Okay, it should be just through here…” Batgirl said quietly, pointing to a set of double doors that was still, somehow, standing and attached to their frame. She stepped to one side and eased the left door open, making sure to stay well back from the opening itself. When nothing lethal flew out she slipped around it with Kate and Kara close behind but fanning out to either side.

“Ah Batbrat, so you did survive after all.”

The voice was cracked and harsh, madness laced through every syllable and with a layer of cruelty on top of it all. It was coming from a large TV screen set up on a tripod two thirds of the way down the room with a camera perched above and on the screen was a nightmare from Kate’s past. Chalk-white skin, green hair and a red slasher smile that seemed to reach back almost to his ears. A long pointed nose and chin gave him a predatory appearance and his eyes glinted with laughter that only he could hear.

“Joker.” Batgirl growled as Batwoman stiffened as the memories washed over her. That face, the same face that she’d seen in her dreams for so many years as it had borne down on their car. The laughter as it had rammed them off the bridge, the instant switch of attention to the pursuing Batman as the three lives it had just tried to end became irrelevant other than as a distraction for his enemy. Kate felt Kara’s fingers touch her gloved hand and she glanced to the side, drawing strength from the steel blue eyes of her wife as they burned with compassion and love. Kara had moved so quickly and silently not even Kate had noticed her do it and now she was guiding them both back just far enough to stay out of camera shot. 

“Oh don’t sound so surprised. After all who else could have arranged for such wonderful chaos for this city?” The sentence ended in a chuckle that seemed to verge on hysterical laughter but somehow stayed bubbling just about under control. 

“This… this was all you? Why!” Batgirl demanded, stepping up to the screen.

“I was bored, duh.” Joker sneered. “It’s been so quiet around here and with my darling Harley locked up in Arkham I was at a loose end. What better way to make a little noise than with a fireworks show!”

“How many did you kill for your entertainment!” Batgirl was clearly struggling not to shatter the screen and Joker could tell he was getting under her skin.

“Who cares, it’s going to be a drop in the bucket compared to what comes next.” He laughed and this time it didn’t stop. “I… I was hoping one of you do-gooders had… had made it through. This wouldn’t be any fun without you!” He pulled a box from behind his back and pulled out a silver antenna. He showed the little device to the camera and pointed out the two big red buttons.

“Tell you what kiddo, as you’re new at this I’ll give you a little present. This button here sets off the second set of bombs. That’ll take out every police station, fire station, ambulance station and train station in the city… gotta get the set, right?” He leered at the camera, enjoying Batgirl’s horrified expression. 

“This other one releases a batch of balloons! Well… I say balloons, more small blimps really but that doesn’t have anything like the same zing does it? They’ll go floating away and leave a lovely cloud of Joker Gas behind them. Smiles all round heheHAHAHA!” The laughter exploded again and Kate was impressed Batgirl didn’t flinch away from it. “And as my gift to you I’ll let you pick which one gets pressed! The valiant defenders of Gotham or a bunch of innocent schlubs with nothing but dead end lives. Tough call… oh I wouldn’t want to be in your boots.” He glanced down and frowned. “Uhh, no, really, those are just ugly.”

“I…” Steph stared in horror, trying to find some way out of the situation. “How about an option three?”

“A what? Listen kid that’s not how this goes. You play along or….”

“Don’t press either of them and I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.” Steph said, cutting him off. “A bat to torture, maim and kill… pretty much your dream night isn’t it Joker?”

“Well you do have a point there.” Joker conceded, eyeing Batgirl with a slightly more appraising look. “And it’s certainly tempting. Oh we could create such beautiful art together… unfortunately for you my muse is currently resting.”

He reached out and flicked the camera to the side revealing a metal frame and hanging from it…

“No.” Batgirl breathed but there was no denying the evidence. Batman was hanging in pieces from the metal, blood splattering the area in a wide sphere. His cowl was still in place but his head was at least a foot above his neck, eyes open and staring in one final act of defiance. Joker’s howl of laughter bounced off the shattered walls of the warehouse as he spun the camera to reveal Nightwing dangling lifeless from a noose and, just to one side, Robin’s smaller frame shackled to a medical gurney, his flesh still smoking from the electric current coursing through him from the metal clamps attached to his arms. 

“Give me a call tomorrow, I might be ready to go again by then. In the meantime… here’s why you always play the game little batbitch.” 

The camera steadied, focused on the box. Two long, thin fingers staged down and pressed both of the buttons at once. A torrent of laughter followed and Joker’s cracked voice managed to wheeze out “Five minutes until Gotham’s finest go boom Batgirl, just time for one last call if there’s one you want to catch up with!” The screen went dead and Batgirl spun around. Kate braced herself to take over, sure that Steph would be broken… only to be rocked back on her heels by the fire in Batgirl’s eyes.

“Robin, take Batwoman to the cave then go stop those bombs! Batwoman, balloons. I’m going after Joker. My tracker will tell you where I’ve gone!” She didn’t wait for any acknowledgement, turning and sprinting off into the warehouse. Both Kate and Kara took their cue from her, ‘Robin’ wrapping an arm around Batwoman then hurtling into the sky, any thoughts of subtlety long gone. Barely seconds later they were back in the Batcave, Kara dropping Kate on a platform that her wife pointed to before racing back into the sky. 

“Alfred! Guide Kara to every police, ambulance, fire and train station in Gotham!” Kate yelled up to the platform with the Batcomputer and saw Alfred nod as he reached for the keys, calling up city plans. She pulled her grapple from her belt and shot up into the darkness to the one thing that could still save thousands of innocents…


	6. Chapter 6

Stephanie’s lungs burned as she forced herself to sprint through the wrecked industrial estate towards the edge of the lake. Across the water she could see the same tangle of buildings she’d apparently been flying towards a few hours earlier before being saved by her strange friends from another reality. But it was the long, low building hunkered down on the lake’s edge in front of her that had her attention now. She had to reach it and quickly, before he had a chance to move on…

Her mind tried to find something else to focus on to distract her from the ache in her body that reminded her with every breath that she’d barely had time to be glued back together, let alone heal. The smell of the water, the way the lights of the entertainment complex bounced off the surface… anything to keep her from thinking of the horrors going on around her and that this might well be the last run of her life, that she was racing towards her own painful death at the hands of that madman. 

The lights… why did her attention keep getting drawn back to the lights? She glanced up and realised with horror that tucked in next to a bowling alley was the neon red cross marking a medical facility. It was small and did double duty housing both an ambulance and fire engine but this close there was no way he’d have missed it. For a moment she wondered about trying to head over there, find and defuse the bomb she knew was planted somewhere in the building. But the lake stood in the way and even if it was a straight run across flat, even ground she doubted she’d make it. There had to be just a couple of minutes left now and there was no way she could cover that distance on her own.

A hurricane seemed to blast over her head and she stumbled in its wake. A blur of red, yellow and black shot past and for the first time Stephanie Brown realised what true power looked like.

Kara was completely focused on the task at hand, not even noticing the running Batgirl. The Robin costume was just about holding up to the speed of her flight and the cape worked well enough to let her turn as she normally would. Reaching the same building Steph had noticed in the blink of an eye she used her x-ray vision to locate the bomb she knew would be there. Small but powerful it was nestled in the basement next to the power and gas lines for the building. She slammed through the concrete of the car park to smash down and into the basement, reaching out and grabbing the bomb.

Instantly it started to detonate, whatever anti-tampering measure the Joker had installed kicking in at her touch. It didn’t matter. She shot back into the sky as the explosion started to bloom in her hand, gained enough distance to make sure no-one would be in danger then hurled the explosive away. Before the sound of the boom had been heard in the city below she’d already ducked back down and found the next one, throwing it up and clear even as the first explosion lit the sky. 

To the Joker it looked like the world had gone mad. One moment the little dots marking every one of his ‘gifts’ were blinking merrily all over the map of Gotham on the big TV in front of him, the next they seemed to be a mile high and exploding. It was impossible… but there it was nonetheless. He didn’t have much time to worry about it as an alert pinged from the other screen. He turned, confused, as a dark shape flashed past the first, fixed camera and he flicked over to another feed mounted on the rear-most of the giant balloons that were slowly rising above the ocean and moving towards Gotham.

For a long moment there was nothing but the darkness and then a shadow moved. Slipping through the night at almost supersonic speeds it headed up, racing seemingly for space before stalling out. By complete coincidence it did so just as it was silhouetted by the bright full moon and he gasped in surprise as he saw it clearly. A plane in the shape of the crest so proudly worn by the recently deceased corpse hung at the far end of the long room. 

Kate flipped the Batwing around, lining up her attack run. She offered a brief moment of thanks to the cosmos that no matter the reality Bruce Wayne seemed to place a premium on intuitive control systems then followed that up with a silent plea that Joker Gas in this universe was just as susceptible to fire as it was in hers. She keyed a row of buttons on a panel and heard a series of whirs and clanks as panels swung open on the sleek hull and a row of missiles locked into place below the wings. To either side of the cockpit gatling guns rose into position and the glass nearest them went dark to protect the pilot from muzzle flash. 

She suspected that for Bruce - or, indeed, any member of the Bat Family in this reality - the plane would have linked to their cowls for targeting data. Certainly there didn’t seem to be any systems in place to help her out on that front. She’d have to do this the old fashioned way…

The first two bursts went a little wide to the right but she adjusted as smoothly as she used to on the pistol range and the third hit the first of the small flotilla dead centre and the whole thing exploded into a boiling inferno that instantly dropped towards the waiting ocean far below. Kate glanced down at a scanner display that Alfred had helped her set to check for Joker Gas and let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. There wasn’t a single trace outside of the fireball and what was being picked up inside the blazing wreckage was quickly burning away. 

With a grim smile she flicked the Batwing around on a wingtip and scythed back in for the next target in line, this time only needing the one shot to bring it crashing down in flames. Satisfied that she had the rhythm and timing down she set herself and started the agile plane dancing through the sky, balloon after balloon bursting apart as the guns reached out to them. 

“No! My balloons! Those are my balloons! Mine!” Joker yelled as camera after camera flickered and died, most moments after the Batwing lined up facing them. He couldn’t quite make out the pilot but the familiar outline of the cowl was clear in the moonlight. He raced over to the beheaded Batman and slapped the cold face.

“How! How are you there when you’re here!” He punched the cowl and the force of the blow sent the head tumbling to the floor. “And now you’re down there! But you’re still out there!” He gestured angrily to the screen then looked down and from this angle the shadows on Batman’s exposed cheeks and mouth almost looked like a smile.

“You don’t get to laugh at me! Don’t you dare laugh at me!” Joker lashed out with a foot and both head and cowl flew like a hockey puck the length of the room and smashed into the screen just as the last balloon burst apart and the camera died in a burst of static. The glass cracked and both screen and head toppled out of sight. Joker looked at the second screen just in time to see the last explosion magically hurtle upwards and explode harmlessly above Gotham.

“No! No it’s not fair! I won! Look at this, I won!” He yanked a gun from inside his purple jacket and emptied the clip into Batman’s suspended torso before throwing the empty weapon at Nightwing’s hanging corpse, sending it rocking on the rope. “You’re all dead other than the brat and she’s not up there! I WON!” 

“Not yet.” The voice slid confidently from the shadows and Joker spun around in time to see Batgirl appear as if from thin air. “Not while there’s a Bat left standing in Gotham.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to repeat something from Part 1: I'm so not doing Stephanie justice here and would urge everyone to go check out her Batgirl run. Comixology have them both in their Black Friday sale which, in the UK, means you're dropping about £11 for the full run in two collected issues. Well worth it! Though is you want a quick art-y overview then this is one of the best summaries of Kara and Steph's relationship I've seen (complete with Supergirl TV / Rebirth style costume, yay!): https://comickergirl.tumblr.com/post/181189724601/love-me-some-steph-and-kara#notes


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